Employment Rights Bill | Bereavement Leave to be granted to parents who suffer miscarriages

Bereavement leave will be given to parents who suffer a miscarriage, as part of updated workers’ rights plans.

Mothers and their partners are currently eligible for bereavement leave if they lose a child or have a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy.

But now as first reported by The Guardian, those experiencing a pregnancy loss before 24 weeks’ gestation will also be given the right to two weeks of bereavement leave.

MPs sitting on the Women and Equalities Commission had lobbied for the law change earlier this year but now, Labour is set to make the change official in an amendment to the Employment Rights Bill - which is set to finish passing through Parliament next week.

As well as bringing things in line with existing provision for baby loss after 24 weeks, the amendments will also include those who experience ectopic pregnancies, molar pregnancies, in vitro fertilisation embryo transfer loss, and terminations for medical reasons.